Raising Yanderes to save the world

Chapter 146: Ch 145: Neil

"Kael gathered everyone around lunch and delivered the unfortunate news that had been sprung on him.

"-And because of this, the new hero will be here any minute. If any of you have a problem, then tell me now. I will find a way to make an excuse and not accept him."

Kael knew the future of this world, so he also knew that the real hero was Leon.

Whatever the Cardinal was trying to play at was just complicating the situation unnecessarily.

"I don’t mind having a new person join us."

Seraphina agreed first, and Iris nodded along to show that she also did not mind. (Although they both did mind.) The one Kael was most concerned about was Leon, and he waited for the ex-hero to speak up.

Finally, Leon replied after a few minutes of thinking.

"I don’t mind either. As long as that kid stays out of my space, he can stay here for as long as he likes."

Kael let out a relieved sigh he did not even know he had been holding.

The only one he had been worried about was Leon anyway. And with his permission granted, it was finally time for him to welcome their new addition to the house.

...

Kael’s teacher had told him that he would send Neil to him soon. But he did not expect "soon" to mean that afternoon.

It was a good thing Kael had decided not to postpone the talk with his housemates and had informed them about Neil beforehand, because it would have been a nasty surprise otherwise.

"Hello, I am Neil, the current hero. I am honored to meet you. Please take care of me, and I will try my best to follow your guidance."

Neil looked like a polite young man, and Kael felt guilty about judging him as a lackey of Cardinal Flux.

To cover up his guilt, he quickly welcomed the kid inside and decided to assign him a room on the opposite side of his own. That way, he would still be close but would not run into the others until he was ready.

Neil looked shocked to see the room, and there was a barely concealed flush of happiness on the kid’s face, betraying his young age.

"Are you sure I can have this room?"

Neil asked, and Kael nodded.

"I have too many rooms anyway, so I don’t mind if you take one. If you want to go around the mansion, you can use a familiar."

Kael created one for Neil as well before leaving it on top of Neil’s closet.

Neil looked beyond shocked to receive this treatment, and his lips wobbled with emotion.

"I...I feel a little overwhelmed. Can I be alone for some time? I promise I will come down for dinner..."

Kael did consider staying back as emotional support for Neil, but his experience told him that the kid would prefer to be alone while getting himself under control.

He was also young enough to adapt to this change soon.

"Alright. I will be downstairs, so come and find me if you feel like talking."

Kael told the kid before he headed back to his lab.

He had already put off his experiments for too long. He needed to produce some results and earn his next chunk of money.

And that was how Kael spent his whole day away in the lab.

He was not usually someone who kept track of time there, but today was a special occasion, and he even set an alarm for dinner.

Kael quickly got out and changed his clothes before he headed downstairs, where dinner was ready.

Seraphina was on cooking duty, and she presented the platter with a proud look on her face.

"Kael, I prepared dinner. I hope the new kid does not have any allergies..."

Unfortunately, Kael had no information about that. Neil was not someone he was familiar with, either now or in his past.

"I will ask Neil once he comes down. You made sure to prepare a variety anyway, so I am sure it will be fine."

Kael ruffled Seraphina’s hair, which made her blush and duck her head away. She also felt...slightly different.

’Is it only me, or has Seraphina grown? She looks taller than she used to be.’

During dinner, Kael noticed a few things—not only was Seraphina looking taller, but so were Leon and even Iris. Kael had grown as well, but he felt like his growth was not the same as everyone else’s.

Luckily, he knew that he would grow taller than everyone here except Leon, but that future was years away.

Dinner distracted Kael from these thoughts, and the table was rearranged because of their new company.

Usually, Leon and Seraphina sat on either side of him, but today Seraphina had given up her seat for Neil. (Though she did look sad.)

The arrangement kept Neil facing Leon while Seraphina and Iris looked at each other.

Neil looked tense, and he kept glancing toward Leon once in a while. But Leon looked unimpressed by his glances.

"What is it? If you have anything to say to me, then stop beating around the bush and speak."

Leon snapped, and Neil flinched before he played with his food and looked down. It seemed like he was not going to say anything for a while, so Kael wondered if he should interfere, only for Neil to suddenly grow a backbone.

"Ehm, I wanted to apologize about what happened at the temple before. Cardinal Flux did not tell me anything about the situation. He just said that he would change my future for me. I did not know he was going to announce me as the hero."

Neil sounded nervous, and he kept his head down in front of Leon. He did not want to offend Leon with his presence, which was fine. But Neil looked far too timid, which was concerning in its own way.

Leon must have agreed, because he frowned before looking at Neil with a frustrated expression on his face.

"Tsk, you did me a favor, so stop apologizing about it. Just...be a good hero so that no one criticizes you."

Leon proclaimed, washing his hands of the hero business completely.